Online accounts for e-mail, social networks, financial account management, and online shopping are increasingly ubiquitous. When an online account is established, a customer typically provides login information such as a username and password combination that is used by the customer to gain access to the account.
An online account may be compromised, allowing an unauthorized user to gain access to the account. For example, if an unauthorized user discovers the login information for an account, the unauthorized user may enter the login information to access the account. The unauthorized user may use the account to engage in activity that is damaging to the customer who holds the online account. For example, the unauthorized user may send e-mail from an customer's e-mail account to the customer's e-mail contacts. If an unauthorized user gains access to an enrollee's social network account, the unauthorized user may post unwanted content to the social network account. Unauthorized access to an online account associated with a financial account can be particularly dangerous as the unauthorized user may make unauthorized purchases using the financial account.
When an unauthorized user gains access to the login information for accessing an account, it may be difficult for the customer to regain control of the account. The customer may be required to make a call to the online account provider or visit a physical location of the online account provider to access the account again. These requirements may inconvenience the customer, particularly if the customer is left without access to the account for an extended period of time while taking steps to regain control of the account.
Embodiments of the invention solve these and other problems.